"WindSong" - 1970 Ericson 35 Mk
II - Voted Best Liveaboard Sailboat

In 1995, I became the third owner
of
WindSong, a 1970
Ericson 35 Mk II sailboat. In the past
fifteen years, I have sailed her to
Isthmus Cove at Santa Catalina Island over
fifty times, often with adventure, but always in
safety.

What makes a
Bruce King Design such a pleasure to sail?
First is the sail plan, with plenty of power,
even in even a moderate breeze. Second is 5000
lb. of lead, encapsulated in her sleek fin keel.
Working together, even under extreme conditions,
those two aspects assure safekeeping for captain
and crew. In high winds or heavy seas, a King
design incorporates such a strong “righting
moment” that there is little danger of a
knockdown. Even on those rare occasions when
her semi-balanced spade rudder shall breached
the surface, I know I am in God's hands, and
therefore shall not fail. Short of a
gravitational eclipse, there is no prospect of
turning-turtle. Even when the tattles tail
and all sheets are to the wind, a Bruce King
yacht shall carry you home. Thank you,
Bruce King.

Known for designing the most
beautiful sailing yachts of the past fifty
years, some ask if Bruce King shaved performance
in favor of good looks. An observer of Bruce
King designs from the 1960s until his retirement
in 2004 knows that early in his career, he "got
it right". Over the years, he modified his
original designs no more than necessary to
execute the requirements of any particular
project. As time passed, he advanced, rather
than hackneyed his developing design aesthetic.

Once delivered, Ericson
Yachts owned the designs. To his chagrin, Bruce
King's artistic and aesthetic control ended when
the design left his drawing board. Hence, the
chop-shop stern modifications on various later
model Ericson sailboats.

Whether it was the
“Classic Plastic” Ericson 35-2 or one of his
later
super yachts,
we see a gentle evolution of form throughout
King’s career. In a testament to the young Bruce
King’s abilities, almost 600 of the 7000 yachts
attributed to his designs were Ericson 35s.

With an overall length of 34’ 8”
and only a 27’ 10” waterline, why would the
designer give up almost five feet of boat length
to the bow and stern overhangs? While heeling
moderately under sail, the leeward waterline of
the
Ericson 35-2 lengthens to nearly thirty-two
feet. In the sailing realm, longer
waterlines
equal greater hull speed. Combining that clever
design element with a concentration of weight
amidships minimizes the “mass
moment of inertia”. In plain English, an
Ericson 35 sailor can find peace in the
three dimensional time-space reality we call
ocean sailing. If you like your peace with a
dash of excitement, then WindSong is the boat
for you.

Known as a racer/cruiser in its
early days, most Ericson 35 - 2 sailboats have
now transformed into coastal cruisers or unique
liveaboard sailboats. Either is a task for which
the boat is ideally suited. From
Marina del Rey to Two Harbors at Santa
Catalina Island is over thirty nautical miles.
On many of my transits to the island, I
overhauled and passed boats larger and longer
than mine. With the élan of a racer and the
accommodations of a cruiser, there is no better
boat to spend a few leisurely days and nights on
a mooring at Isthmus Cove.

Finding myself suddenly single in
2003, I became a live-aboard in Marina del Rey,
California. After a few sleepless nights,
staring at the ceiling of the cabin, I recalled
that living aboard
WindSong was part of the adventure that I
sought in life. As early as 1972, on a visit to
the LA Boat Show, I decided that I wanted to
live aboard a sailboat. In 2003, with
homelessness as my alternative, it took me a
while to become comfortable with my dream come
true.

During the next two years, I
spent more hours aboard WindSong than ashore.
Rekindling my executive recruiting business,
took many hours of telephone and computer time.
By late 2004, when I rejoined my recurrent
odyssey to the
Four Corner States, WindSong became less
active as a cruising boat and more of a floating
haven for me. By 2007, I had moved on to a new
and rewarding relationship with an other.
Despite our mutual love for WindSong; we spent
only occasional weekends aboard.

In 2011, over forty years since
her launch in Orange County, California, WindSong calls out to a new owner. She is a good
boat overall, so in another forty years, we hope
that an interested party will Google, “Ericson
35 WindSong” and read this epistle.
If the year is 2048, I will be 100 years old.
Even then, I will be happy to discuss all that I
know about WindSong and what makes her a great
yacht.

Author's Note: In
May, 2012 I sold the boat WindSong. She now has
a new home in San Diego Bay, California. Look
for her sailing there, or perhaps anchored at
Two Harbors, Catalina Island.

In September
2017, I found a link to "Windsong, 1970 Ericson
35-2 for sale" in San Diego, California.
Although I have not seen her since 2012, I hope
she is still ship-shape and ready to sail.